Author: Rhys Gregory

Aberystwyth-based LanoTech has been crowned the Best Rural StartUp at the 2025 UK National StartUp Awards, held at Ideas Fest. LanoTech is pioneering the use of lanolin, the natural grease in sheep wool, as a sustainable alternative to soy and vegetable oil in animal feed. With the ambition of halving the feed industry’s reliance on environmentally damaging oils, the company is creating value from a low-cost, domestically available resource – British wool. Early trials have shown that lanolin has higher energy content and stability than conventional feed oils, with comparable digestibility. The business is driven by a mission to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint, build a circular economy and…

A strategic partnership has been signed to restore one of Britain’s biggest and best raised bogs. Fenn’s Wood is an ancient bog straddling the English and Welsh border near Whitchurch in Shopshire and Wrexham in Wales. The reserve has 18 species of bog moss, as well as many other characteristic bog plants. In a groundbreaking move for nature restoration and climate action, Cheshire landowner Barnston Estate has formed a ten-year alliance with Natural England and Natural Resources Wales. The initiative stands as a testament to collaborative stewardship of a landscape that is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a National…

Creative communications agency Folk, has secured a string of new client wins following a series of competitive pitches. The wins span both consumer and corporate comms across the third-sector, financial services, telecoms and FMCG, with Folk being tasked to deliver work that reflects its ethos of creativity, inclusivity and impact. New wins include Nationwide Building Society, national charity DEBRA, fast food chain Popeyes and broadband company Ogi. Nationwide Building Society has appointed Folk to help validate its customer communications guidance for colleagues to ensure its customer communications are inclusive and meet the needs of vulnerable customers. The building society is…

Eager to discover Hungary’s hidden treasures, history, and charm? This detailed Budapest Guide is what you need. It accommodates every traveller, from first-time explorers to veteran tourists. The guide offers the latest and rich exploration of the city’s: Practical know-how Local secrets Iconic sights and Cultural experiences Your exploration period doesn’t matter. This guide equips you with expert travel tips, itineraries, what to do and more. Do You Really Know Budapest? Let’s Discover More Budapest is Hungary’s national centre, also known as the Pearl of the Danube. Buda and Pest were two unique cities. They were separated by the River…

Cardiff-based Pure Property Finance has just been announced as the sole finance partner of the Planning Portal –  the UK’s official online service for submitting planning applications in England and Wales. Pure Property Finance has teamed up with UK government-backed Planning Portal to help developers secure funding and planning support more easily. From small residential refurbs to major development sites, the new partnership will make it quicker and easier for developers to access both planning support and funding in one place. The Planning Portal is a joint venture between the UK Government (Ministry of Housing) and TerraQuest, and is set…

South Wales Police has issued an update following a disturbance on Poets Close, Rhydyfelin, at approximately 00:40hrs on Tuesday, September 23. Three males, all in their 20s, were taken to hospital with injuries. The man who died has been formally identified as 22-year-old Liam Woolford from Porth.  The other two men remain in hospital. Liam’s family said: “The family are thinking of their loving son Liam at this difficult time and ask for privacy to grieve.” A 30-year-old man from Rhydyfelin has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempt murder while a 22-year-old man from Tonteg has been arrested…

This morning, Tuesday, September 23, just before 00:40am , South Wales Police received a report of a disturbance on Poets Close, Rhydyfelin. During this incident, three men in their 20s sustained injuries and were taken to hospital. One of the men has since died, while the other two remain in hospital. A 30-year-old man from Rhydyfelin has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempt murder in connection to the incident.  A 22-year-old man from Tonteg has also been arrested on suspicion of murder.  Additionally, a 20-year-old woman from Penygraig has been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 wounding with…

An NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) Wales investigation has led to a former NHS manager being ordered to pay back £25,000 to the GP practice that she defrauded. Kimberley Wilson, 52, of Tabernacle Street, Skewen, attended a compensation hearing at Swansea Crown Court on 12 September 2025, where she was ordered to pay back £5,000, at £200 a month for the next two years, to Castle Surgery, Neath. This is in addition to the £20,000 that she repaid on 21 July 2025. On 7 August 2025, Wilson was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for…

A care worker from Ross-on-Wye is running this year’s Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon in memory of her fiancé who tragically died from a cardiac arrest. This will be the first time Mandy Morgan, 44, will have taken on the 13.1-mile distance and she’ll be doing so to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The mum-of-five found her fiancé Stuart unresponsive in bed after coming home from a night shift in January 2022. Devastatingly, despite performing CPR with her daughter Max, then 15, nothing could be done to save him. He was just 46 years old. Mandy said: “During Covid…

Angels Invest Wales will continue to support Welsh businesses and investors with targeted co-investment, as the Welsh Government announces it has increased the Wales Angel Co-Investment Fund by £3 million. The £8 million Wales Angel Co-Investment Fund was launched in June 2018, and has since provided match funding for 60 rounds of investment across 48 different businesses, leveraging £10 million from 520 investments. Angels Invest Wales now has more than 200 investors on its platform. By encouraging investment by business angels, the co-fund allows syndicates to bring their expertise to fast-growing businesses along with their capital, providing opportunities for mentoring,…